


A Waltz For Gotou Shintarou

by dazzler



Category: Kamen Rider OOO
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ballroom Dancing, M/M, Shall We Dance AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-05-25 01:28:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6174853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dazzler/pseuds/dazzler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dancing, unfortunately, can't be learned from a manual.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Waltz For Gotou Shintarou

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fangstrizer](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=fangstrizer).



> Shall We Dance AU. Most of my knowledge is based on 1 semester of ballroom dancing I took ages ago so it might be kinda rough lol. Super thanks to Esme for beta-ing. <3

The train was four stops away from Gotou Shintaro’s apartment when he first saw the man.

“This train will terminate at Iidabashi,” the calm announcer voice said. The doors hissed open, and a blast of warm summer air flooded the air-conditioned car.

The man, who seemed to be around Gotou’s age, stood in the window of an old brick building, looking down at the train stop below with a wistful expression. He almost looked as though he was waiting for someone, but no one got off the train. Gotou might not have noticed him if it weren’t already evening and the lights weren’t on.

The doors shut once more and Gotou watched the man, then the building, disappear from sight.

 

* * *

 

 “What’s up with you?” Satonaka poked him in the cheek with a pen. He turned toward her, frowning.

“What do you mean?”

“You look troubled,” she said. “More than usual, I guess.”

“I’m not,” he said, swatting the pen away from his face.  

“Kougami said he wants that report on his desk tonight, by the way.

Gotou sighed and turned back to his work.

She was right, though. Somehow, he couldn’t get the image of that man out of his head.

On the ride back that night, the man did not appear in the window. Nor did he appear the following night. It was three days before he was there again, and when he caught sight of him, Gotou stumbled out of the train car before he knew what he was doing.

He watched in horror as the train pulled away, and then he stood there for several seconds before making up his mind.

_If I’m going to have to wait, I might as well…_

Clutching his briefcase tightly, he approached the old building. The main doors opened into a lobby, and there was a flight of stairs to his left.

He scanned the posted placard. The man had been on the fourth floor, so…

“Corte Choreography,” he read.

At the top of the dark stairwell he emerged into a brightly lit room that seemed to be a reception area, with several couches and a desk.

“Can I help you?” The girl at the desk asked. She was tall and pretty, wearing a gauzy shirt that showed off a pair of very solid looking arms.

“Yeah, I’m… where am I?”

“This is Corte Choreography, Tokyo’s number one international dance studio,” came a voice from behind them, startling Gotou. A woman in a brightly colored dress came fluttering over. “And I am Chiyoko, the mistress of this fine establishment.”

“Gotou Shintarou, pleased to meet you,” said Gotou, bowing stiffly.

“I’m Hina,” said the receptionist. “Were you interested in lessons?”

“Oh no, I--”

He froze as the man he’d seen at the window strolled into the lobby. He was wearing a tight white t-shirt that showed off his toned body, which practically glistened with sweat.  

“A new student?”

To Gotou's horror, he turned toward him and smiled. Gotou felt himself go weak at the knees.

Hina gave Gotou a curious look. “I was just asking. Date, I know you have that Tuesday slot free, how would you like to take him?”

“You interested in ballroom, buddy?” He clapped Gotou on the shoulder, sending him lurching forward. “I’m your man!”

“Great, then if I could have you fill out these forms,” Hina said.

Gotou stumbled out of Corte Choreography a half-hour later with an appointment for the following Tuesday.

 

* * *

 

When Satonaka saw him the next morning, she commented that he looked like a man facing down certain doom, which wasn’t inaccurate.  

Gotou had no clue what he was thinking. Ballroom lessons? He’d already flunked out of police training for his clumsiness, which was how he ended up at Kougami corp in the first place.

That didn’t stop him from going to the library in preparation for his lesson, checking out a half a dozen books on ballroom dancing, and speed-reading through them like a man possessed, trying to take in every possible bit of information.

When Tuesday arrived, Gotou took the train straight from work to Corte Choreography. Hina was at the desk again and greeted him with a smile.

“Date’s waiting for you,” she said, which only made him feel more nervous. “I’ll take you back.”

To his surprise, there were two other people in the studio as well: a young man in a tie-dye shirt and another with bleach-blond hair and a sharp expression.  

“Gotou-chan!” Date waved at him, his face crinkling in apparent delight.

“There’s no need for--” Gotou started to say before the protest died in his throat.

“Everyone, this is Gotou, a new student,” said Hina.

“Please take care of me,” he mumbled.

Hina gestured at the man in tie-dye. “Gotou, this is Eiji. He’s also taking lessons here.”

“Pleasure,” said Eiji, dipping his head.

Hina turned to the other man. “And this... is Ankh,” she said. “My older brother.”

Ankh fixed him with a haughty look. “That’s ‘Ankh-sensei’ to you, newbie.”

“I’ll leave you to it,” said Hina.

Ankh and Eiji moved to the other side of the studio, beyond the collapsable wall that split it in half. It sounded like they were doing more arguing than dancing, though.

“I thought today we could focus on the basic box step for the waltz,” Date said. “Basically, the lead and follow steps mirror each other. You step forward, they step back.”

They stood across from one another without touching, practicing the movements as Date counted. After a while, Date clapped his hands, signalling Gotou to stop making boxes on the floor.

“Now we can learn the upper body,” said Date, leaning in to take Gotou’s hands and position them, one on his shoulder, one holding up Date’s hand. “This is called closed position.”

They were close enough that their chests were almost touching, and Gotou could smell Date’s aftershave. He stared at his feet, not daring to look Date in the eye.

“Hey, look at me,” he said. “If you don’t keep your head up, you might crash into someone.” He let out a bark of laughter, although Gotou didn’t find the idea quite as amusing.

Focusing his gaze at a far point on the wall, Gotou allowed him to change position from follow to lead.

“You have to support your partner’s arm, like this. No noodle arms, okay?”

Date demonstrated by pushing Gotou’s arm up with his elbow. Gotou nodded.

“Don’t be afraid to use your hand to guide them and pull them along with you.” Date put a light pressure on his shoulder blade to tug him forward. “The lead always has to be thinking a few steps ahead, so you can signal to your partner where you want them to go.”

They spent the rest of the time practicing the box step to a slow waltz on the stereo. After the lesson, he only made it as far as the lobby before collapsing on the couch, legs wobbling like a newborn horse.

This was not good. Gotou couldn’t even handle one hour without feeling like he might melt in Date’s arms. Of course, the alternative didn’t seem any better-- Ankh kind of scared him, to be honest. He reminded Gotou of the delinquents who used to pick on him when he was on the disciplinary committee in high school.

Eiji dropped beside him, his face flushed with exertion.

“Harder than it looks, isn’t it?” he said. Gotou nodded, loosening his tie. Eiji glanced over. “You work in an office?”

“Yes,” said Gotou. “What do you do?”

"Spent the last few years doing odd jobs after I dropped out of university. I only realized how much I like dance half a year ago."

“He means he has a crush on my brother,” Hina said in a stage whisper from the desk.

“Hina!” Eiji looked aghast.

“What?” she said innocently.

"You can't just tell people that."

Hina sighed. "You're so obvious about it, Eiji. Even Shingo noticed."

"Noticed what?" said Ankh, emerging from the practice floor with a towel around his neck.

"Who's Shingo?" Gotou asked. Eiji looked relieved at the distraction from the previous conversation.

"My twin brother," said Ankh. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Be nice, we're trying to get students to keep coming back," Hina chided him. Ankh shrugged a bony shoulder.

"I should get to my evening shift," said Eiji, standing abruptly. "See you next week?"

"Hey, practice the footwork we learned," Ankh said. Eiji smiled at him and hurried out.

"I should go too," said Gotou. He bowed to Hina and made an odd, stilted movement in Ankh's direction before following.

 

* * *

 

The next week, Gotou arrived for his lesson a little early. The lobby was empty, but he could hear a lush waltz coming from the studio speakers.

Hina and Date were dancing. They worked beautifully together, sailing around the floor, Hina’s dress billowing out behind her as they spun and twirled. It seemed like their feet didn’t even touch the ground.

Without knowing why, Gotou felt a sudden pang in his chest.

"Gotou-chan! Sorry I didn't see you come in," he said. Gotou mumbled something about not wanting to intrude and looked at his feet. "Oh, don't worry, you didn't interrupt. We were just messing around."

 _Just messing around?_ God, why was he even doing this? It was unlikely his job would require this sort of skill in the near future.

"Ready to keep up where we left off?" Date asked, bringing him out of his spiralling thoughts.

Gotou took his position dutifully and began following Date's lead to go over the steps, but Date stopped him.

“Something wrong, Gotou-chan? You seem out of it today.”

“I think… I want to dance like that,” he said. “How you and Hina were earlier.”

“You’ll be able to if you keep practicing,” Date said. "Trust me, what we were doing was flashy, but it's not that difficult. Anyone can learn how."

About fifteen minutes into the lesson, Gotou was getting off rhythm, stepping on Date's feet, and apologizing every five seconds.

Finally, after messing up a turn for what felt like the hundredth time, Date suggested they take a break. Gotou sagged against the wall in defeat.

"I don't understand why I can't do it," he said. “I know all the theory. I studied ballroom manuals.”

“You can’t learn how to dance from a _manual_ ,” said Date, making a face. "Let's try again." He held out a hand to help him up and Gotou took it.

His grip was strong and Gotou overshot him by several steps as he was pulled to his feet, stumbling forward. Date caught him by the shoulders and looked him in the eyes. Gotou was too surprised to do anything but meet his gaze.

“Right now, your pride makes it hard for you to let go and feel the music. No one’s going to judge you here, okay?” Gotou nodded, feeling his face heat up as Date squeezed his shoulder. “I’ve got you, Gotou-chan.”

He started the music and Gotou took them around the room a bit. He led Date from a whisk back to closed position, and then raised his arm so that Date could pass beneath. He gave Date a slight pull so he would know which direction to go, and then they joined again. Date’s eyes practically sparkled.

"You did it, see? That wasn't so hard!"

“What next?” Gotou asked.

"I want to try a dip," Date said. Gotou felt his heart execute a series of flawless turns in his chest. “We’ll go in slow motion so you can understand the positioning.”

So that was how Gotou ended up bent backwards over Date’s knee, clutching onto his neck and shoulder for dear life.

“You’re a little stiff, try relaxing your spine. And don’t worry about leaning too far back, I promise not to drop you.”

"Right," Gotou croaked.

Date’s arm was strong and solid around Gotou’s midsection. He closed his eyes and let himself relax, trusting Date to catch him.

 

* * *

 

Lessons continued for the next few months, and Gotou felt better than ever. Kougami caught him practicing his chasses in the copy room. Satonaka asked, “Gotou, are you finally getting laid?” Gotou even considered buying the motorcycle he’d always wanted, but decided it was too early for him to be having some kind of a midlife crisis.

After learning the basics of waltz, they moved on to the lindy hop, and then the samba.

“It’s all in the knees,” Date explained. “And the hips.” He shimmied a little, sliding his hips from side to side. Gotou coughed.

Across the room, Ankh was snarling at Eiji. “You have to woo me--am I being wooed? No. Where is your passion? This is the tango, hold me like you’re making love to me.” Eiji kind of looked like he was going to die.

Chiyoko viewed the proceedings from the side of the room like a benevolent queen, occasionally fluttering a paper fan.

“The tension in their dance is splendid, just splendid!” she told Gotou after practice.

“Er, okay,” was all he could manage in response.

He was packing up to leave when Date called out to him.

“Wanna go out for oden?” he asked. “My treat.”

“Why?” Gotou blurted out before he could stop himself. Date was, as usual, unphased by Gotou’s awkwardness.

“You did really well today,” he said. Gotou paused, then picked up his briefcase.

“...Alright, I’ll go,” he said.

Date beamed. “I know a place just a few blocks from here.”

It turned out to be a stand hardly larger than the bathroom in Gotou’s apartment. The two of them squeezed into seats at the counter and put their orders in with the cook.

“Gotou-chan, you’re gonna love this,” said Date. “Real good stuff.”

Gotou couldn’t remember mentioning anything to Date about what foods he liked, but he went along with it anyway.

“Why was Chiyoko watching today’s lesson?” he asked as they waited for their food to arrive.

“Ankh and Eiji are going to be in the masked ball exhibition,” Date explained. “It’s a thing where dance studios get to show off. Hina and I will be in it, too,” he said.

“Sounds interesting.”

“You should come watch your old teacher make a fool of himself,” said Date. He winked and Gotou quickly stared down at the countertop. How Date managed to make that look charming rather than embarrassing was beyond him.

He was saved from having to answer by the arrival of two bowls of piping hot oden, much to Date’s delight.

“So how did you start working at Corte?” Gotou asked.

“Well, I used to be on the international competition circuit,” said Date, breaking apart his chopsticks. “I made it to the championships in Vienna, actually.”

“Seriously?” Gotou gawked at him. “Did you place?”

“I hurt my ankle on a lift, had to get surgery.” He scratched the back of his head, looking almost sheepish. “I quit after that. Doctors said it’d never work the same.”

“I never noticed,” Gotou said, swallowing around a lump in his throat. “You always seemed fine during lessons.”

“I’m okay for short periods, like a lesson or an event, but the level of practicing needed at a professional level would wear it down pretty fast, so I had to bow out.”

“I’m sorry,” said Gotou. Date shrugged.

“Chiyoko invited me to come teach, and here I am.”

“Do you miss competing?”

“Yes. But I love teaching, too.” He reached over to ruffle Gotou’s hair, and his hand rested there for a moment afterward, warm and solid on Gotou’s head.

“You’re a really good teacher,” said Gotou, pushing his now messed up bangs out of his face.

“Thanks, Gotou-chan.” Date smiled at him, one of his smiles that creased his eyes and wrinkled his nose. “Now eat up, or your oden’s gonna get cold.”

It was only after Date left that Gotou realized he had left his briefcase at the studio with his weekly report still in it. He raced back around the block and took the stairs to the studio two at a time, praying Hina was still there even though it was after hours.

Gotou knocked on the door and it creaked open, the studio within dark and foreboding. Maybe Hina had left it open because she was coming back?

“Hello?” he called into the blackness. No response.

He fumbled for the switch on the wall and flicked the light on.

There were Eiji and Ankh, tangled together on the couch and mid-kiss. Ankh made a noise that could only be described as a squawk and tumbled to the floor.

“Gotou.” Eiji was swiftly turning a red to match the color of Ankh’s jeans. “Um.”

When Ankh managed to stop yelling, Eiji helped Gotou track down his briefcase and the two of them stood together in the lobby, both determinedly not looking at the couch where Eiji and Ankh had been moments earlier.  

“So,” said Eiji. “See you next week?”

“Yes,” said Gotou in a strangled voice.

 

* * *

 

The morning of the masked ball, Gotou was shaken out of sleep by the sound of his cell phone ringing. He grabbed it off the nightstand with a groan. He’d already told work he’d be taking the day off, and if they wanted him to come in then too bad.

At a glance, though, he didn’t recognize the number, so he flipped it open 

“Hello?”

“Gotou, it’s Chiyoko. I’m calling to ask for a favor. Date strained his injury this morning, and he’s going to a doctor to have it looked at.” Gotou felt his heart rate pick up and sat down heavily on the edge of the bed.  

“Is he okay?”

“He’ll be fine, but he won’t be able to do the exhibition. I wondered if you would be willing to dance with Hina instead.”

“I-- I don’t know if I can,” said Gotou.

“Hina would lead, she knows the routine. You’d just have to follow her, which shouldn’t be a problem for you, as you’re a very intuitive young man.”  

Gotou squeezed his eyes shut, pushing aside the thought that he’d never danced in front of strangers before. “Alright,” he said. “I’ll do it.”

He heard Chiyoko breathe a sigh of relief on the other end of the line. “If you get here soon, you’ll still have a few hours left to practice before the event.”

 

* * *

 

“Gotou, you’re going to do great, don’t worry.” Hina squeezed his hand as she pulled him down the hallway. They’d spent the last several hours in an empty room at the convention center going over their routine, and honestly, Gotou hadn’t had the time to worry. Now that they were on their way to the performance, however, all of his tensions came bubbling to the surface. 

When they rounded the corner they ran into Ankh, standing in a full suit with a bouquet of daisies and a shopping bag. Gotou blinked several times to make sure he wasn’t just imagining things.

“Ankh? Is that a wig?”

Beside him, Hina burst out laughing. “Gotou, this is Shingo, my other brother,” she said.  

“I brought your costumes,” he said, holding up the bag.

“Costumes?” he asked. The horror must have shown on his face because Hina almost looked sorry for him.

“It’s a masked ball, so we have to have masks,” she said. She pulled a green and black cape out of the bag. “And this’ll make you look flashy when I twirl you,” she explained with a grin.

 

* * *

 

The real Ankh strutted off the floor wearing an impressive costume covered in red feathers and sequins. Eiji high-fived Hina and Gotou as he went by.

“Good luck out there!”

The two of them took their positions in the center of the dance floor, Gotou craning his head to look for Date but not seeing him.

“Ready?” Hina asked under her breath.

He didn’t have time to reply. The music was already beginning.

“Keep your head up,” she mouthed at him as he nearly tripped over her.

She had to practically drag him through the first few moves, but then he began to picture he was dancing with Date alone in the studio, and the crowd seemed to melt away, replaced by mirrored walls and an old set of speakers that crackled a bit when they played. He could imagine Date’s voice-- “ _I’ve got you, Gotou-chan_.”

The sound of the audience clapping shook him out of his imagination. As they took their bows, Gotou scanned the crowd one more time before following Hina off the floor.

Backstage, she pulled him into a tight hug.

“You were wonderful. Thank you so much for dancing with me,” she said.

“You too,” said Gotou, feeling a little guilty because he’d been picturing someone else for most of it. “You really rescued the first half of the routine.”

She rubbed his back comfortingly.

“You two killed it out there!” came a familiar voice from behind them. Date swooped in and wrapped his arms around them both.  
“I’m choking,” Gotou wheezed. Date stepped back. “We didn’t know you were here. I didn’t see you during the performance.”

“How’s your ankle?” Hina asked.

“It’s fine. They put it in a brace.”

Gotou frowned in concern and reached out to touch Date’s arm.

“Are you sure…?”

Date pulled away, a somewhat blank look crossing his features before he resumed his cheerful expression.

“I should get going, actually,” he said. “Gotta rest up for our next lesson. Thanks for filling in!” With a wave, he ducked out of the dressing room.

Gotou stood rooted to the spot, staring at the empty space where Date had been moments before.

“Gotou--” Hina put a hand on his arm.

“I’m alright,” said Gotou, taking a deep breath. “I’m going to go find him.”

 

* * *

 

It was dark on the lawn in front of the convention center. Gotou cut through the grass to catch up to Date’s retreating figure.

“Date, wait,” said Gotou.  

He stopped. When he spoke, he kept his back turned, hands shoved in the pockets of his jacket.

“You did really well with Hina. As your teacher, I couldn’t be prouder of you.”

“Date?”

“What is it, Gotou?”

Gotou tugged at his shoulder so they faced one another. “I want to dance with you.”

Date’s eyes widened.

“Come here.” Gotou took him by the hand and gently guided him into a closed position, himself as lead. The two of them began a waltz beneath the street lights. With Date’s brace, it was a little slow and a little clumsy, but to Gotou it was perfect.

The progression into a kiss felt as natural as a twinkle into an inside spin. Date grabbed his tie and tugged him closer, sliding his other hand through Gotou’s hair.

“Do you want to come over?” Gotou asked against his lips.

“Yeah,” said Date breathlessly. “My apartment is kind of a mess.”

 

* * *

 

So that was how he ended up with Date in his bed, legs wrapped around his waist, Date’s uninjured foot digging into the small of his back and urging him deeper.

“Gotou-chan,” he said, voice breaking off into a moan. Gotou couldn’t stop kissing him, mapping Date’s body with his lips everywhere he could reach. He reached down to curl a hand around Date’s cock. 

“Date, you feel so good.” Gotou gripped him hard, causing Date to throw his head back against the pillow, face screwed up in pleasure. 

“Gonna come,” he groaned, nails digging into Gotou’s shoulder. His body tensed before Gotou felt him spill between his fingers. Gotou slid out and rolled the condom off. Date was still catching his breath, but he reached out to grab Gotou by the hip and pull him back. 

"It's alright," said Gotou. "I was just--" 

"Here," said Date, guiding the tip of Gotou's cock past his lips, his jaw relaxing to accommodate him. 

Gotou straddled his chest and fucked into the wet heat of his mouth as Date held him in place, stroking and squeezing at his thighs. It wasn't long before he came, shuddering, and Date held him through it. 

Afterward, they snuggled up in bed, leaning against one another.

“I never asked, what got you interested in taking dance lessons?” Date draped an arm over Gotou's shoulders.

“It was sort of an accident,” Gotou admitted.

“What do you mean?”

“I saw you in the window, and I…” He trailed off, feeling foolish.

“You fell in love with me at first sight? How romantic, Gotou-chan.” Date laughed, the sound low and warm. Gotou blushed.

“You looked like you were waiting for someone.”

“Maybe it was you,” said Date, giving him a peck on the cheek.

“Maybe,” said Gotou with a small smile. Maybe he had been waiting for Date, too.


End file.
